Perceptions

Or "One Day in the Life of the News From Iraq"

From the NY Times, August 15 2005:

Rosemary Goudreau, the editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune, has received the same e-mail message a dozen times over the last year.

"Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?" the anonymous polemic asks, in part. "Did you know that 3,100 schools have been renovated?"

"Of course we didn't know!" the message concludes. "Our media doesn't tell us!"

Ms. Goudreau's newspaper, like most dailies in America, relies largely on The Associated Press for its coverage of the Iraq war. So she finally forwarded the e-mail message to Mike Silverman, managing editor of The A.P., asking if there was a way to check these assertions and to put them into context. Like many other journalists, Mr. Silverman had also received a copy of the message.

Ms. Goudreau's query prompted an unusual discussion last month in New York at a regular meeting of editors whose newspapers are members of The Associated Press. Some editors expressed concern that a kind of bunker mentality was preventing reporters in Iraq from getting out and explaining the bigger picture beyond the daily death tolls.

"The bottom-line question was, people wanted to know if we're making progress in Iraq," Ms. Goudreau said, and the A.P. articles were not helping to answer that question.

"It was uncomfortable questioning The A.P., knowing that Iraq is such a dangerous place," she said. "But there's a perception that we're not telling the whole story."

Mr. Silverman said in an interview that he was aware of that perception. "Other editors said they get calls from readers who are hearing stories from returning troops of the good things they have accomplished while there, and readers find that at odds with the generally gloomy portrayal in the papers of what's going on in Iraq," he said.

Mr. Silverman said the editors were asking for help in making sense of the situation. "I was glad to have that discussion with the editors because they have to deal with the perception that the media is emphasizing the negative," he said.

Mr. Silverman also said the wire service would make more effort to flag articles that look beyond the breaking news. As it turned out, he said, most of the information in the anonymous e-mail message had been reported by The A.P., but the details had been buried in articles or the articles had been overlooked.

But first, another point from the Times story:

Before the meeting, The A.P. collected three articles by reporters for other news organizations who were embedded with American troops and sent them out over the wire to provide "more voice."

But just for fun, I also used the search window at the Times web site to look for every article containing "Iraq". Here are all the AP articles dated August 15, 2005 that the NY Times chose to place on it's website - (I don't think I found any of those three...):

A Daily Look at U.S. Military Deaths
As of Monday, Aug. 15, 2005, at least 1,854 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,440 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

Canadian Man Abducted and Killed in Iraq
OTTAWA (AP) -- A Canadian man pursuing a business venture in Iraq has been abducted and killed, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Monday.

He urged Canadians in Iraq to leave, saying ''the situation remains volatile and the government of Canada cannot provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens in distress.''

Honored Iraq Veteran Accused of Firing at Crowd From Home
LAWRENCE, Mass., Aug. 14 (AP) - A veteran recently named "Marine of the Year" for his service in Iraq has been charged with attempted murder, after the police said he fired a shotgun on Sunday from his apartment as a group of noisy revelers stood outside a nightclub.

Bush Approval a Low for Recent 2 - Termers
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's standing with an American public anxious about Iraq and the nation's direction is lower than that of the last two men who won re-election to the White House -- Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton -- at this point in their second terms.

Sen. Biden Says Bush Should Fire Rumsfeld
DOVER, Del. (AP) -- President Bush needs to fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and level with the American people about the situation in Iraq, said U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, who is testing the political waters for a possible White House run in 2008.

Bell Misses Game for Nephew's Service
SEATTLE (AP) -- Kansas City Royals manager Buddy Bell missed Monday night's game against the Seattle Mariners to attend services at Arlington National Cemetery for his nephew, a Marine killed in Iraq.

Oddly enough, that same day, August 15, 2005, CENTCOM made this press release available to the world:

August 15, 2005
Release Number: 05-08-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUCCESSES THIS WEEK IN IRAQ (5-11 AUG)

BAGHDAD, Iraq ? Reconstruction projects strengthened Iraq?s infrastructure this week, while community leaders showed their commitment to rebuilding. Iraqi Security Forces continue to be an essential part in working to increase the country?s security.

Approximately 18,000 Iraqi schoolchildren will sit in freshly refurbished schools when their new school year starts in about six weeks. Iraqi and U.S. government agencies announced Aug. 6 that renovations of 43 schools in the northern and southern provinces are funded for repairs, and contracts have been awarded for the work. As part of the Iraq Relief Reconstruction Fund, over $1.3M was set aside to continue a nationwide school repair program that addresses rehabilitating sanitary facilities, electrical and mechanical systems, and structural repairs to schools in Karbala, Dahuk, Najaf, Basrah, and Qadisiyah.

More than 200 Iraqi children received medical screenings from Coalition Forces, with support from Iraqi Police, during an operation Aug. 5 in western Mosul. Soldiers and medics handed out soccer balls and hygiene products to the local children while they conducted the screenings. More than 1,000 children have received medical screenings during this and four similar operations over the last three weeks.

In Baghdad, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad attended the handover ceremony of the International Press Center (IPC) to the Iraqi Government Communications Directorate (GCD) on Aug. 9. The IPC is a hub of activity for Iraqi and International journalists during press conferences, National Assembly sessions, and other media events. To mark the handover, USAID/Iraq provided a grant to the IPC for technical and office equipment that includes 20 desktop computers, 30 laptop computers, licensed software, printers, a scanner, a copy machine, CD writers, desks, chairs and other necessary office equipment. A group of Iraqi journalists who have used the IPC since its opening in February 2004 received the 30 laptop computers yesterday.

Iraqi and U.S. officials unveiled a special monument to honor four Iraqi Army Soldiers who gave their lives for the security of Iraq during the Ashura holiday. Dr. Ahmed Chalabi, Iraq?s Deputy Prime Minister, said the country owed a great debt to the four Soldiers and their families, and promised the Iraqi government would care for them in gratitude for the Soldiers? gift to the country.

Officials from both countries also signed a charter to detail plans to bring much-needed projects to the people of Husseiniya, an agricultural town north of Baghdad whose population boomed during the previous regime. Coalition Forces are working with the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works to build storm drainage projects, water-quality improvements, and most importantly, sewage treatment facilities. The Husseiniya Charter is the first of its kind in the area, and will serve as the test-bed and guide for other projects in impoverished areas in and around Baghdad.

Reconstruction projects around the country are in progress, and this week, construction started on a Police Facilities project in the Samarra District of Salah Ad Din Province. This 250-officer station in the northeast part of Samarra, which is a $4.3 million investment, will provide a presence in the city to help stabilize law and order. The contractor employs 25 Iraqi workers, and the project is scheduled for completion in November.

Iraqi workers in Baghdad finished the $3.6M Al Amari Water Distribution project this week. The project can produce approximately 250 cubic meters of potable water daily and service about 2,000 families in the Al Amari and 9-Nissan areas of Baghdad.

Iraqi Security Forces continued to prove themselves as they strive toward assuming security operations around the country.

Iraqi Army soldiers discovered five improvised explosive devices placed around a building in Rawah August 9. The soldiers located the five IEDs connected with wiring and secured the area to prevent any injuries while a coalition explosive ordnance disposal team neutralized the threat.

Iraqi Security Forces EOD teams were also busy ? clearing three IEDs in separate cities the same day. Iraqi Police discovered an artillery shell wired for command detonation in Baqubah, a more complex IED rigged for remote control detonation in Tikrit, and another in Hit. An Iraqi EOD team eliminated the threat while an Iraqi Intervention Force secured the area, protecting community members from the terrorists? weapons.

Citizens in Baghdad and Ramadi were just some of the Iraqi citizens who assisted Coalition and Iraqi Forces in locating weapons caches this week, taking an active part in securing their communities and creating an environment that will foster more reconstruction and increased stability.

MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE ? IRAQ PROVIDED THE CONTENT FOR THIS RELEASE. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON SPECIFIC EVENTS, PLEASE CONTACT THE COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER?S PRESS DESK AT CPICPRESSDESK@IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL.

August 15, 2005
Release Number: 05-08-17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAJAF MATERNITY HOSPITAL UNDERGOING RECONSTRUCTIVE REBIRTH

Najaf, Iraq ? U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South District estimates a Dec. 25 completion of a refurbishment and renovation project for the Najaf Maternity Hospital.

Engineers report the $8.2 million project is 30 percent finished.

The project began Oct. 25, 2004.

Renovations include a new sewage system, a new boiler for heating, ceramic tiles throughout all of the renovated portions of the facility and a new residents? office. A reverse osmosis water treatment plant for the hospital is finished and is ready to be turned over to the hospital. An incineration system is also in the works.

Similar renovations continue at Najaf teaching hospital two kilometers away from the maternity hospital.

The 266-bed hospital continues patient care even while renovations continue.

Doctors there see 250 pediatric and 125 maternity outpatients a day, more than the Najaf Teaching Hospital. It also takes overflow patients from the teaching hospital as long as they are female. Males treated there must be under 14 years old.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT the Gulf Region South District PUBLIC AFFAIRS. Tommy.G.Clarkson@tac01.usace.army.mil

August 15, 2005
Release Number: 05-08-15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TASK FORCE FREEDOM SOLDIERS FIND CHEMICAL PRODUCTION FACILITY

MOSUL, Iraq - Coalition Forces, acting on intelligence from detainee interrogations, raided a suspected insurgent chemical production facility and chemical storage locations on August 9th. The early morning raids, conducted by Task Force Freedom, uncovered what technical experts assess to be a ?clandestine chemical production facility? and possibly related storage sites.

August 15, 2005
Release Number: 05-08-18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AL QAEDA LIEUTENANT KILLED IN IRAQ

BAGHDAD, Iraq ? Terrorist Abu Zubair, also known as Mohammed Salah Sultan, was killed August 12 by Iraqi Security Forces in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul.

Zubair was a known member of Al Qaeda in Iraq and a lieutenant in Abu Musab Zarqawi?s terrorist operations in Mosul who was being sought by Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces for his involvement in a July suicide bombing attack of a police station in Mosul resulting in the death of five Iraqi police officers. He was also suspected of resourcing and facilitating suicide bomber attacks against Coalition, Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi citizens throughout the country.

When Zubair was killed he was wearing a suicide device consisting of an explosive pack across his stomach armed with pellets.

Here's The Dawn Patrol for August 15th.

Here's the latest from Mike Yon.

And here's Arthur's latest "Good News from Iraq"

To be fair though, I'll give the last word to the AP/NY Times - a final quote from the first story linked above:

Before the meeting, The A.P. collected three articles by reporters for other news organizations who were embedded with American troops and sent them out over the wire to provide "more voice." Mr. Silverman said he wanted to do more of that but the opportunities were limited because there are only three dozen embedded journalists now, compared with 700 when the war began more than two years ago.

Ms. Goudreau, for one, found the discussion useful. By the end, she said, editors were acknowledging that even in their own hometowns, "we're more likely to focus on people who are killed than on the positive news out of a school."

Update James Taranto at Best of the Web:

And indeed, here's an AP Baghdad dispatch that moved yesterday on the AP wire:

The capital's Sadr City section was once a hotbed of Shiite Muslim unrest, but it has become one of the brightest successes for the U.S. security effort.

So far this year, there has been only one car bombing in the neighborhood, and only one American soldier has been killed.

A year ago, militiamen garbed in black and armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades roamed the streets in open revolt against the American presence. But U.S. troops quelled the uprising, and today calmly patrol the district, aided by loyalists of the radical cleric who spurred the violence.

A Google News search--which is wide-ranging but not comprehensive--turned up only two newspapers that have published the Sadr City story: the Chicago Sun-Times and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The story is not terribly time-sensitive, so let us hope that other papers will pick it up.